Bimal Gurung with those who left Trinamul and joined the Morcha in Darjeeling on Monday. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, Dec. 29: Desertion from the Trinamul Congress continues in the Darjeeling hills with 64 party members joining the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today alleging “infighting” in the leadership and failure to fulfil promises.

The Trinamul supporters led by Sangram Thakuri, a former assistant secretary of the Trinamul Youth Congress in the hills, took the Morcha’s flags from party chief Bimal Gurung.

The Trinamul supporters who switched over to the Morcha are from Phoobshering and Mangalpuri areas, about 10km from Darjeeling.

After accepting the Morcha flag from Gurung in the party office at Patlabas here, Thakuri said: “Trinamul has no strong leadership in the hills. The leaders are fighting among themselves. The party only talks about assurances but it is unable to do anything in the hills. Trinamul promised to regularise GTA employees and provide pattas (land rights) to tea garden workers but nothing has been done.”

Over the past one month, hundreds of people have left Trinamul and joined the Morcha in far-flung areas of the hills, saying the state government had failed to deliver on its promises.

Yesterday, the Darjeeling Himalayan Karmachari Sangathan, a union of GTA employees affiliated to Trinamul, had been dissolved by its central committee, saying Mamata Banerjee’s party had been unable to fulfil the aspirations of the members. The Sangathan had been formed primarily with the demand of regularisation of GTA employees.

Addressing the new entrants to the Morcha today, Gurung said: “There are hardly any people left with Trinamul (in the hills). However, nothing had hurt me more than the people leaving our party to join Trinamul, which has openly stated it does not support the demand for Gorkhaland.”

“We have accepted the GTA (hill body) but I will never compromise the demand for Gorkhaland. I have to take care of development but then, I am taking all possible steps to achieve our statehood dream. The Centre, too, is positive towards us. At this moment, we have to remain united,” he added.

The Morcha president said when he had resigned as the chief executive of the GTA, a lot of people had joined Trinamul. “When I resigned from the GTA, a lot of people joined Trinamul thinking that they could get nothing from our party. The hill people must also start looking beyond contract works and strive for the achievement of Gorkhaland,” said Gurung.

Gurung had resigned on July 30, 2013, when the UPA had agreed to form Telangana state. He, however, reversed his decision and took oath as the chief executive of the GTA on December 26, 2013.

Gurung also said many Trinamul leaders in the hills were in touch with the Morcha and they, too, would join his party soon.

Binny Sharma, the general secretary of Trinamul (hills), denied that there was infighting in the hill leadership. “Those are baseless statements. Of late, it has become fashionable for people to switch from one party to another in the hills. The people who left Trinamul today are those who had come to us with personal motives. We might not be a big force in the hills today but our supporters are a dedicated lot and committed to peace and development.”

Trinamul seems to be finding it hard to convince its supporters to continue supporting the party purely on the plank of peace and development. Most of the Trinamul supporters who are joining the Morcha say Gorkhaland is an issue that they cannot discard.

Thakuri iterated the thought today: “We have realised that our thoughts and aspiration do not synchronise with Trinamul. Its not a party for the hill people.”

Even Gurung broached the subject during his address. “It is well known that national and state parties have not been able to make inroads into the Darjeeling hills because our main issue is Gorkhaland,” he said.

More Trinamool supporters join GJM following dissolution of trade union

DARJEELING, 29 Dec 2014: Already in sticky ground with top leaders getting arrested in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, the hill unit of the Trinamool Congress too is finding it hard to keep its flock together, with supporters continuing to leave the party in droves.

Trinamool Darjeeling hills youth assistant secretary Sangram Thakuri, along with 64 families, shifted allegiance to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha on Monday. The former Trinamool supporters are from the Mangalpuri area of Phoobtshering tea estate under Lebong-Badamtam constituency of Darjeeling.

After receiving the GJM flag from party chief Bimal Gurung in Patleybas, Thakuri said: “We have lost faith in the TMC leadership of the hills. We were promised many things including job opportunities in the home-guard and food and supply departments. But sadly we have come to realise they were all a political gimmick. We were also told that issues relating to tea garden workers would be addressed, but they too have failed to materialise.”

The former Trinamool youth leader, who played a key role in setting up a party base in the Phoobtshering tea garden area, also predicted that many more TMC cadres from other places in the hills would leave the party. “Supporters are disillusioned by the party’s policies. In the coming week, more supporters from Badamtam, Bijanbari, Nagari, Dhajey and Gorubathan among several areas will leave to join the GJM fold,” said Thakuri.

Trinamool Congress (Hills) central leaders refused to comment much on the exodus, maintaining everyone has the right to join or leave a party in a democracy. “In a democracy one may choose to either stay with one party or leave it and we don’t have any problems. However, it must be noted that our party did not promise jobs and those who joined us did so on their own. We urge supporters to have patience as it takes time to fulfill every aspiration,” said senior hill Trinamool leader NB Khawas.

On Sunday, the Trinamool-affiliated Darjeeling Himalayan Karmachari Sangathan, a union of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration employees formed in October 2013 was dissolved by the party central committee on the ground that the leadership had failed to fulfill the aspirations of the workers. A statement said a decision had been taken to dissolve the union, central committee and also all block and local level units, which effectively means that the members have resigned from the Trinamool Congress. The decision stems from the December 4 defection of more than 200 DHKS members including its general secretary, who joined the GJM-affiliated Janmukti Asthayai Karmachari Sangathan.

Welcoming the new members, the GJM president urged them to work together for the greater cause of a Gorkhaland state. “People are being lured by false promises to join the TMC, but the truth is coming to the fore and Trinamool supporters are realising this and leaving. However, what has hurt me is that these people had joined a party that is vehemently against the aspiration of a separate state,” said Gurung.

Bolstered by ongoing developments, he took a dig at the TMC leadership saying the party that was primarily formed with the aim to divide the people is on the verge of being annihilated in the hills. “Such divisive politics will not work here. People are realising this and will not be fooled any longer. Several TMC supporters are joining our party and we have received word that more from Kalimpong, Pokhraybong and Nagari will be coming to us,” said Gurung. (EOIC)

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